Post navigation

Three weeks ago, we together rolled our eyes because it seemed like everyone was either celebrating spring (pea tendrils! meyer lemons!) or on vacation without us, cluttering our social media feeds with shiny, happy scenes on distant beaches. We had a brief but unequivocally necessary pity party because while we were stuck here, shivering, with a fresh layer of sleet accumulating outside. We consoled ourselves with blood orange margaritas.

And then — EH TU, DEB? — I turned on you too.

Really, I have some nerve. There we were, finally getting caught back up after a fall and winter of extended absences while I hopped from Atlanta to Austin, Boston to Bridgewater, Minneapolis to Montreal, Salt Lake to St. Louis and I unpacked my thick sweaters and wool socks only long enough to replace them with sunscreen and flip-flops.

What a terrible week.

It really was the worst.

Almost seven years ago, Luisa Weiss wrote glowingly about Bill Granger’s Coconut Bread on her awesome site, The Wednesday Chef. It was one of those loaves we confusingly call “bread” — like banana or any other quick bread — but are actually cake, except instead of hinging on fruit, it zoomed unapologetically in on coconut. My husband really doesn’t like the shredded stuff, and so although I pined for it, I never made it. But before I left for vacation, I went on the cleaning tear of all cleaning tears (does anyone else do this? I can’t bear the idea of coming back to some mess I hadn’t dealt with — messes I can willfully walk by and ignore all other days) and found a bag of shredded coconut in the freezer leftover from… don’t worry about it. Suffice it to say, I decided I’d kept myself from the coconut bread long enough and within two hours, with some help, I was pulling the most gorgeous loaf, ever, out of the oven.

A mile high, glossy and bronzed, with a coarse crumb from a tangle of coconut, cinnamon, brown butter and vanilla — if Smitten Kitchen could be bottled into a scent, this would be its Love’s Baby Soft — it told me, in no uncertain terms, what a fool I’d been to wait so long to make it. It’s fantastic from the oven, still warm, but it’s even better toasted with a pat of butter and a dusting of powdered sugar. Trust me. Trust Luisa, trust Johnny Apple, trust that the people of Sydney, who won’t let Bill take it off his menu, are onto something. Your week will be much better with this in it.

I had to practically physically sit on my hands to keep myself from tweaking this, because I love coconut with so many other flavors — lime! (I’d add some zest) mango! pineapple! (I’d add chunks, or slather it with mango curd) banana! (I’d puree some into the milk portion) raspberries! brown sugar! (I’d replace some of the granulated sugar with this)– I wanted to incorporate at least one of them in each batch. I was additionally tempted to amp up the coconut, using coconut milk instead of regular milk or virgin coconut oil instead of butter. And yet, I’m glad I didn’t because it doesn’t need any fussing to taste fantastic. Okay, FINE. I fussed in one place: I browned the butter. These things, they happen when a recipe asks me to melt butter and here, it is absolutely wonderful, adding a background of toastiness that plays happily off the coconut.

The crumb is here is more coarse than banana bread, and less squishy-moist too. There’s a real change in texture from the dark crust to the tender center that makes this bread excellent toasted with a pat of butter and sprinkling of powdered sugar. This salted honey brown butter spread would be excellent here too.

Despite the volume of sugar here (I admit, I was convinced it would be overkill) this bread is not very sweet. If you would like a less sweet bread, you can use unsweetened coconut, which usually comes dried. The original recipe didn’t call for salt, and I think this and all breads, really need salt so I added 1/4 teaspoon table salt but I think one could easily take the amount up to 1/2 teaspoon.

This loaf, once baked, entirely filled and towered above my 9x5x3 (8-cup) loaf pan, so if yours is smaller, you might want to pour off a little batter into greased muffin tins.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.

Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Anybody know what would happen if I cut the sugar in half? I mean, from a baking perspective. I have a toddler who would love this but I’d like to keep the sugar as low as possible. Milk, eggs, butter, no problem. Anything I’d need to alter to keep it from throwing off the recipe?

I know this is 3.5 years too late and by those calculations your toddler should be a full grown adult by now, but for anyone else who may be wondering…I often halve the sugar in cake and quick bread recipes (at times leaving it at just 1/2 cup or even a ratio of 1:4 sugar to flour) and it totally works out from a baking perspective. It’s just less sweet.

I recently modified my go-to coffee cake recipe by subbing in coconut oil for the butter. There wasn’t any other coconut in the batter but the texture was amazing, crunchy outside and the most moist inside of a cake I’ve ever had. I’m a major coconut convert.

This sounds like the perfect recipe to use tons of coconut flakes that I have sitting in my pantry after (unsuccessfully) making granola bars. Here’s hoping that I have much better luck with this bread :)

Lordy, this sounds good! I was in sunny Arizona recently so I really shouldn’t be so miffed by your lovely tropical photos, but hey. I guess I will just have to make this for my own tropical bliss. I love your description of the smell as SK’s Love’s Baby Soft. Poor Jacob, we already know what perfumes he’s going to respond to…

This makes me drool a little, which is a charming way to start the morning. My husband doesn’t like coconut, which dims his near-perfection considerably, but that just means I’d have to eat the whole loaf myself… think this one would freeze well?

Your overwhelming excitement for this loaf has me grinning (not snidely, but because I can relate–http://oneishungry.com/2013/02/15/gluten-free-roasted-banana-and-chocolate-chunk-banana-nut-bread/)! I am thoroughly excited to try a g.f. version of this tropical, golden wonder!! Thanks for sharing.

We’re moving from DC to San Francisco next week and I’m trying to pare down some of the stuff in my pantry. I have two cans of coconut milk that I’m hoping to substitute in this recipe. Can I do a straight substitute for the milk, or is there a different proportion I should use? Will it be too coconut-y? (Is that even possible?)

Oh god thank you. I live in Chicago and today is an icy hell-scape, and apparently this coconut bread will be the solution. So thanks. PS. I just got your cookbook and I love it, made granola last night (and now who has leftover coconut? ME!).

Another find I can whip together with stuff I already have in the pantry on a snowy day. No crazy off the wall ingredients requiring a special trip to the grocery. This recipe is going to happen in my kitchen TODAY!

I used to go to a restaurant called Cafe Mirage in Portchester, NY that served a dessert of coconut macaroons with pistachios and fresh mango. The combination of sweet, tart and salty was the bomb. I would love to have this bread with some fresh mango jam and crushed pistachios right now.

I definitely love coconut anything. My favorite cookie for spring are your raspberry macaroons, which are DIVINE! In fact, I’m going to make them for the holidays again this year. :)

I cannot wait to try this out, since my mom is addicted to anything coconut as well. In fact, this weekend at a Vietnamese restaurant, she had a whole coconut to herself with the most delicious water and meat. Yum!

This looks fantastic but I, too, would be tempted to replace all, or at least part, of the milk with coconut milk. In fact, I don’t think I’d even attempt the recipe once without trying it! And definitely would do unsweetened coconut as recommended in the notes…I love flavor, not necessarily sugar. :)

Will make it with pineapple buttercream. Puree canned (in juice) pineapple, drained, then gently squish through a sieve to remove excess juice. Or find pineapple extract. Add to butter cream, split loaf and spread.

I can guarantee my 13 y/o will eat all of it if I let him.. he’s bonkers about Pina Colada :)

Been making something like this for years, but my recipe has a coconut glaze poured over when it is removed from the oven. So yummy! I love how these recipes are a sort of guilt free reason to eat cake for breakfast!

I was 16 when I first started cooking from Bill Grange’rs cook books. I love love love them! His restaurant in Notting Hill is also amazing! The photography in those books is what inspired me to be a food photographer. I’ll get there one day too. I love his raspberry, pear oat loaf. Magical. It has a crumble topping. Nom

Definitely going to try this this week. Like someone else mentioned, I want to try this with coconut milk instead of regular, and unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened. A couple of vegan blogs say that you can just use coconut milk 1-to-1 for regular milk, so I think it should work (plus I have some coconut milk that needs to be used up). My husband loves coconut, so this would be a great treat for him.

Ok – I am guilty of always going back to the same well(s). Well 1: Banana Bread. Well 2: Zucchini Bread. As a coconut fanatic, I think it is time to add a new song to my mix tape. I would be tempted to swap out butter for coconut oil but my rule is to always follow a recipe verbatim the first time, as a baseline, and then tweak the next time. Can’t wait to give this recipe a whirl!

I also have a really hard time not tinkering with recipes. Having said that, I wonder whether this would benefit from replacing some or all of the milk with coconut milk. Maybe a coconut flavor explosion!

I think Benjamin, above, who asked about reducing sugar, was not so much asking for ways to reduce sweetness, as asking about what effect reducing sugar would have — on texture, on browning, on spread, etc. Sugar does a lot else besides sweeten, I think? For one, it makes my toddler homicidal, and that’s not just a matter of the flavor.

You can always trust Bill. His banana breads are killer too- yesterday morning we were missing them and the taste of Sydney so badly in freezing London that we lined up at his Notting Hill outpost, Granger and Co for a good 25 minutes just for a slice. It’s served with ricotta – and it’s delicious.

This coconut bread looks yummy! But, what I am more excited about is that you mentioned Love’s Baby Soft. I hadn’t thought about that perfume in probably 15 years and must now go buy some for my 7-year-old goddaughter.

And now I have learned the lesson that I should not read a new Smitten while standing in the kitchen. It only leads to “I have that…I have that…I have that…Oh, what the heck, I might as well make the fourth kitchen mess of the day!”

bookmarked the moment I read brown butter/coconut/vanilla!!! Want now!!!! Damn you, moving-soon-emptying-cabinets-can’t-be-buying-more-new-ingredients conundrum! How could you have waited all this time to make this??? Who cares if you’ll be the only one enjoying it??? It’s their terrible loss!
P.S. You are NOT alone in the crazy lady goes on cleaning spree department. I blame the moons. The blue moons. I am this close to proving it a scientific fact.
P.P.S. I once tried making madeleines with coconut milk and lime zest. For some reason, I did not achieve the boulangerie quality in texture, as I did with the same recipe, but using regular 2% milk and orange zest.

Ah! I went from reading to baking in a fraction of a second. Already made these as muffins (baking about 20-25 minutes, topped with a little extra coconut) and they’re AMAZING. Made about 19 muffins (7 of them got dark chocolate chips…trying to wait until tonight to do the taste test on those).

OK, it’s almost torturous for you to post this recipe this close to Passover (for those of us observing, that is). However, do you think that maybe (just maybe) this recipe could be tweaked to be kosher for Passover? I was thinking replacing the flour with half matzah meal and half coconut flour. Dare I try? Or would you say “Sam, don’t bother. Think how great it will taste when you are no longer feasting on the bread of affliction!”.

SamanthaJess — Passover is one week out; I think you have time to both make and eat it. :)

Collette — He liked the flavor but didn’t like the shredded coconut texture. One thing I didn’t try, but might next time would be to grind the coconut first. I did this when I made Raspberry Coconut Macaroons last year and it alleviates the stringy texture, while keeping the flavor.

Using sugarless coconut — I imagine it would have a slight but not significant effect on the dryness. Sadly, I didn’t audition this but in this case (unlike with macaroons, where I find it difficult to overcome the dryness of unsweetened coconut) so much of the crumb comes from the milk/butter/eggs, I wouldn’t worry tremendously about the dry coconut.

I’m all for anything coconut. Or bread. This will be made ASAP. Deb, how did the slicing go? Sometimes, I will give coconut a whirl in my food processor, to make the shreds shorter, and slicing easier. Do you think it would be worth a try?

Sara — Thank you. I still use a DSLR and a 50mm lens. I’m always loath to get into specifics because I don’t think they matter; I think that the combination of just about any DSLR and 50mm can give you a similar effect. That said, you can see camera specifics by clicking over to the Flickr page of any photo. The camera information is in the upper right-hand corner; the EXIF data, including camera settings, can be seen next to the bottom right corner of each photo.

Oh man, I’m a sucker for anything coconut. I really like the idea of making these into muffins. I too have a hard time not tweaking an original recipe. But I would be curious how splitting the butter with half coconut oil would taste? I can only imagine it being delish. Thanks for the tropical inspiration.

i’ve been in a coconut nut lately – it’s been weeks of nothing but salty-sweet coconut shreds and sweetened coconut slivers eaten plain by the handfuls. i’ve been eyeing myself some killer coconut cake recipes… but i am like you, the husband does not care for coconut so sadly no cake has been made… but now i will have to selfishly make this loaf and keep it all to myself. ;) xo

Today was the start of a week long stay-cation for me and I have about a hundred pages of your cookbook already bookmarked to try & I may have to add coconut bread to the lineup, too. Not as glamorous as your getaway but…yum.

This bread looks great but I am very surprised that no coconut flour or coconut oil or even coconut milk was used for another layer of flavor. I will be making this bread for sure but will definitely be substituting some coconut flour and oil as well.
Thanks for all the great recipes!
~Hazel

The adaptation I follow is out of Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen. Thought his intro states the recipe comes from Bill Granger, his adaptation includes many of your suggestions–coconut milk, zest, salt, and brown sugar. I have always found the lemon zest to be the perfect addition–your lime suggestion makes even more sense.

I think comment guidelines prevent me from including a link, but the recipe is listed on my blog if you are so interested. :)

In the oven right now in my mini-loaves — how fortuitous that all the ingredients were in the house! (So what if I’m supposed to be studying; baking improves my state of mind, which makes me in a better place to absorb information…)

Quick question about mini-loaf baking; I just got these pans recently and have yet to test them out! I’d just assumed that the time should be shortened, so I’ll start checking after they’ve been in about 20 minutes. But a quick web search finds advice that the oven temperature should also be reduced a bit? (Though there is lots of conflicting advice on the internets – some say keep the same, some raise, some lower.) Any expert bakers have advice for a novice?

You always make me feel like I am standing in the kitchen with you. I love that.
Also… that temptation to tweak and perfect and change the classics, oh I know it so well. An urge almost impossible to resist!

Oh, and by the way, my recipe has no cinnamon at all, just a little coconut extract. I wonder that cinnamon goes well with coconut? I have never used coconut flour or coconut oil but between the flaked coconut and the extract in the batter and in the glaze, there is plenty of coconut flavor.

Just baked this using unsweetened coconut, 3/4 c sugar and Willams-Sonoma C4C gluten free flour. It is absolutely my new favorite quick bread recipe! I can see that it would be tempting to add lime or mango but truly the only thing I would change is to try it with brown sugar. The browned butter was a stroke if genius and added such a nice, subtle, warm flavor. And 1 tsp of cinnamon was key as well. It does competent the coconut but double that could have taken away from letting the coconut shine. Thanks for sharing this fab recipe!

Glad you were able to get away to somewhere tropical (I don’t know that traveling in the midwest in February is really something anyone ~hopes~ to do :) But I’m super happy you did come to STL – it was great to meet you (and get my book signed – my book had all the Post-it Flags on like nearly every recipe =) Another fun part of that evening was getting to meet another STL-based blogger IRL for the first time!)

Deb this is gorgeous! Lately I have been so into baking with coconut oil. I cream it just like I would butter when making cookies and it makes any cookie taste vacation-scented, rather than like a straight up bottle of tanning oil or anything – and so soft! I want to try your bread with coconut oil rather than butter and I also have coconut flour – it behaves way differently than AP flour though, but thanks for this gorgeous loaf and my wheels are turning now! :) Pinning!

Deanna — I got them at Fish’s Eddy a few years ago, I think they were called Diner Bowls. Very heavy! Maybe this? I have them in three sizes, one small (the one you see), one medium and one large.

ATG — Ha! I made some fantastic flourless peanut chocolate cookies this afternoon. Then I remembered that for some reason (I mean, I’ve read the technical one; I’m less clear on how one can use peanuts as a leavened) you can’t eat peanuts on Passover. So… nothing yet. :)

Ohhh boy I’m totally making this soon. There should really be a national holiday for unapologetically making something your man doesn’t like (mine doesn’t like coconut in any form). Or that should just be Thursday.

Just made this and Wow!! Absolutely delicious!! I toasted the coconut and used brown sugar. I made a blueberry sauce to spoon over each slice. My husband has had 2 slices and is murmuring “heavenly” between bites! :)

This is delicious! I made this in an 8-inch square pan since I don’t have a loaf pan. Just a warning to others who have, like I do, an oven that cooks VERY hot—I found this was done just under the 50 minute time.

So I have been searching for something to make for my daughters birthday, I saw this recipe and this is it!! I just made it in cupcake form and thy are amazing! 30 minutes to bake and they are perfect! Thanks for the great recipes again an again!

Hi Deb, I’ve been reading your blog for quite awhile but this is my first time commenting. I love your book too! Every recipe of yours I’ve made turns out terrific. Anyways – this one looks great. It reminds me of a similar bread I made a few years ago; it’s a Tyler Florence coconut bread recipe and he has this pineapple butter to go with it, which is just one (8 oz.) can of crushed pineapple, drained, mixed with a stick of softened butter. Or maybe it’s two sticks… the man does love his butter! Then you toast the bread slices and spread on the butter. It was divine!

Hey Deb, I’m a big fan, loved your book. We call this ‘sweetbread’ in the caribbean, we often add lots of dried fruit, though it doesn’t need it to be delicioous! Your photos look just like my Auntie’s sweetbread! you should try our savor version: “Coconut Bake,” best thing you can do with a whole dry coconut (without sugar!) Keep up the good work.

As someone who lives in Sydney, has made this bread twice and has tried it at Bill’s for breakfast, I can confirm that this is indeed an amazing loaf. Just seeing your photos makes me crave a piece! Yum.

Out of the oven & sooo good!! The coconut extract added great flavor. How would white chocolate chips or chopped, dried apricot sound? Craisins? Would you add them at the end or with the dry/coconut mixture?

Very tasty! My BF ‘doesn’t like’ coconut but has liked the last two recipes I’ve made with it… This fit with my current use-what-I-have rampage. I didn’t have enough granulated sugar on hand so used a combo of white, light brown and a squeeze of corn syrup, all totaled maybe a scant 2/3 cup of sweetener. My coconut was organic unsweetened. I followed the rest of the recipe as written. I can’t wait to try it toasted for breakfast tomorrow!

I rushed home from work and mixed this up quickly with my toddler, who loves mixing. We used unsweetened coconut and only half the sugar. I also swapped half the butter for unsweetened applesauce, which I guess added back a little of the cut sugar. It’s delicious, very coconutty and not too sweet, great for packing in school lunches. And the toddler loves it. Thank you!

I saw this in my email box and was curious to see if it was the bill granger recipe, and if so what you thought of it, and if you tweaked it at all. I’ve made this every way- with fresh coconut I grated myself, with sweetened coconut, and with dried unsweetened coconut. I just can’t stand it, LOL. I don’t know what it is…hm. For an Australian recipe, it seems a very American taste to me- I’ve given the bread (with recipe ) to friends who kept on baking it and it became family favorite in their homes.
Thing is I adore coconut, I love coconut cake, and cupcakes.. coconut macaroons…I’m wondering if it’s the cinnamon? It’s always seemed insipid and oversweetened to me- yet- lol- coconut cake is def sweet. Maybe I’ll make it sans cinnamon, try one more time :-). It does look soooo pretty!!! With coconut cake I love the combination of sweet coconut with a slightly sour cream cheese buttercream, so I wonder how this bread would be with an addition of sour? Lemon zest maybe? Or lime? hm…!!! This bread has been my nemesis, I just can’t like it and normally I’m not super fussy about foods.

Excited about the recipe, but not loving the new audio ads the site has been using lately. Last two times I’ve visited, I’ve been greeted Martha Stewarts voice playing on an embedded ad that I can’t turn off.

Pretty, pretty please make it stop? Makes browsing in bed late at night an unejoyable experience for my sleeping husband :(

I have been making Bill Granger’s Coconut Bread since I got the recipe from a Delicious. Magazine several months ago. This is a wonderful recipe! The sweetness is really just right–not at all too sweet. We ate it toasted for breakfast several mornings last Christmas. I liked it best with just butter, but others liked it with jam, too. I always leave out the cinnamon and add a couple of teaspoons of Natural Coconut Flavoring from Spices Etc. This flavoring tastes of real coconut and not suntan lotion. This recipe is a keeper and is going in our family recipe book. Your loaf baked up spectacular, Deb!

I wondered if it would be The Bill Granger Recipe too! I think Bill is adorable and love his style, I am a big coconut fan too, but I have to agree with Jane. I made this several years ago and did not like anything about it. :(
I haven’t made it since, but I did use dessicated coconut which is what we have the most readily available here. Maybe I should seek out the sweetened coconut, though not sure if it’s available in the average Australian supermarket.

I have cooked this many many times, it freezes well, toasts well, I think Bill rec it with a lime marmalade. I have been fortunate to eat at his Surry Hills cafe and you have got to cook his ricotta pancakes.

Deb: Have you made anything with Coconut Flour? More and more people are buying it b/c of gluten free diets and Paleo diets. I bought a bag and haven’t used it yet! Anything coconut in my book is the best:0

Looks fabulous, minus the cinnamon! I had thought we might be long lost food-soul-sisters (salted caramel! brown butter!), but your love of cinnamon (which IMO detracts from the taste of whatever food it is in, from apple pie to carrot cake) tells me that we’re not. No matter, I can enjoy your recipes with my own little tweaks.

Love the taste, although I had a few pineapple chunks in the fridge and just had to add them…is that what makes the bread so hard to cut? I can’t manage to get one nice slice, thick or thin,but the taste is wonderful, the crust is the best and event make the honey brown butter: delicious!

Deb, I am so happy for you that this is now in your life! I have been making it for a few years and it is one of my favourites. I also agree with you that it is fantastic warm from the oven, and also lovely cold for that matter, but even better toasted. I keep slices in the freezer to pop in the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack. It is perfection!

This bread is wonderful! I’ve been making it for a number of years now. Bill Granger’s cookbooks are great too. They have a fresh, summery feel to them as well. No wonder we’re all longing for spring.
I also have been baking (and stovetop cooking) in my new Cook on Clay pots.
Check it out. cookonclay. com.

I’m thinking this may be a weekend project for our preschooler and her sleepover friend. And we might make a pink icing for them with pomegranate juice and cream cheese. Or sour cherry juice and cream cheese. Hmm. I’ll have to think about that some more, but preschoolers like their icing.

I believe you. Once you add coconut in anything, the dish or the bread in this case, becomes completely different and very delicious. I like the simplicity of your recipe and the ingredients are things I have regularly in the kitchen. I’ve bookmarked this and will try it soon. I imagine this would go great with a slice of fruit next to it. Thanks for sharing, Deb!

I’ve been having coconut and pecans in my Irish oatmeal. I’ve been craving the yummy coconut every morning. Imagine my delight at seeing this mouthwatering loaf of coconut bread! I love coconut, but am not a big fan of macaroons, but this looks perfect! I can’t wait to try it – thanks! By the way, Deb, I bought four of your cookbooks (pre-order) and gave as Christmas, birthday and hostess gifts. Everyone loved it! Of course, I kept one for myself!

Can’t wait to try it! For all my sweet breads, I just line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper. You can skip the butter/flour or spray step and it comes out so easily! The parchment can also be reused. You should give it a try!

Wow! I am new at baking and so far have only tried various recipes of chocolate cake (to accommodate birthday requests from my kids) And in the past week, just discovered the bread machine! (almost like a crock pot in my opinion). This recipe, however, is enticing in its simplicity. Wish me luck!

And sorry, I have been living in a cave cause I just discovered you last week. Thanks to BBC Radio 2 ! And thank you for your site. I will definitely get your book.

Gorgeous picture! And yes, I am sooo like that. I have to clean before I leave the house for vacation. I HATE coming home to a house that hasn’t been scrubbed top to bottom before I left. My brain says, “Why come home and have to clean on top of all the dirty laundry you bring home?” Brilliantly crazy I tell ya. :)

I whipped out this recipe last night, and my wife, who doesn’t like coconut, asked “are you making that work work? Or are you eating it all yourself?” I knew it was a jab at me for making a bread that she probably wouldn’t like (she LOVES fresh bread). So I said “Don’t worry honey, you don’t have to have any”. Well, I made it, and it was awesome. SHE even liked it. The coconut is very subtle, and the browned butter was a great addition. I agree that just over 1t of cinnamon was enough. ANd yes, toasted in the morning is even better!

Unfortunately, I used half white whole wheat flour, and the loaf didn’t rise as much as shown here. But it still came out great!

I, sadly, live in an apartment with no oven (I know!). But I do have a bread maker. Should I mix by hand and pour the batter in just to cook, or can I dump in all of the ingredients and let it handle the whole process, mixing included? How long should it bake (still over an hour)?

Also, I only have unsweetened coconut. If I still want a sweet bread, should I add extra sugar to compensate for the lack of sweetness in the coconut? If so, how much?

Final question: No all-purpose flour where I live. Should I use bread or cake flour? Or a combination? What if I wanted to mix in whole wheat flour?

Thanks for your help! I usually can’t make your recipes because of the lack of oven or because they call for ingredients I can’t get where I live. But this one I might be able to try, which I’m very excited about!

Hi April — You can use cake flour. You can mix in wheat flour (I’d start with a 1/3 swap.) Make sure your cake flour is unleavened. You can increase the sugar by 1/4 cup to start. I haven’t tried baking cake in a bread maker so I’m not sure how to proceed.

Elyse — Yes, the ad can be removed. It didn’t show for me, but these things slip through.

I love coconut, but never quite tried it in bread. There is this delicious filipino dessert where you sprinkle cocnut shreds over a rice cake of sorts, de-lish! IT’s called kuchinta. Anyway, can’t wait to try this recipe. Yum. Thanks!

I’ve had this one (the Bill Granger version) in my stack of recipe clippings for years and have never gotten around to making it. You have now rekindled my desire to try it and use up the coconut that’s been hanging around the cupboard for too long. I will also finally open the jar of lime marmalade that I’ve had stashed away to slather on this once it’s baked. This was suggested as topping in the original article I read on said bread and I think it sounds pretty luscious!

I wonder if everyone’s favorite food, dark chocolate, would work here. Or caramelized white chocolate (works wonders with coconut). Although I bet this is also delicious toasted and slathered in butter. As most things are.

I love reading your blog posts, and your book is on my list of must-haves. I’ve never tried making coconut bread before, but your recipe is inspiring me to do a little experiment in my kitchen. Thanks.

I love coconut and knew I had to try this as soon as I saw it. Doubled the recipe and made them for a small dinner party last night. They were eaten as soon as they came out the oven with nothing on them… they were that good!

Deb- I made this last night and brought it to work today to share- I CAN’T STOP EATING IT! It’s so good! I saw the recipe at work yesterday and remembered I had coconut in my pantry and got so excited. I had unsweetened coconut and it still came out delish. Thanks!

Made this last night – it was absolutely delicious!!! The only thing I did different was use unsweetened coconut (it was what I already had around), but it still tasted awesome! Will definitely be making again.

So right now, I’m enjoying a snow day at home in midcoast Maine, and I’ve currently got a loaf of this in the oven. Can’t wait to have it for a snack with some tea later. I did substitute regular milk for coconut milk because I had some on hand. Hope it turns out ok!

I am wondering why not used coconut milk with full fat as the replacement of milk and oils. Have you tried this? I’m thinking I will, not a fan of the shredded coconut and this would give me that flavor I love.

This bread looks and spells out into a recipe like a perfect treat! I’ve been craving some coconut dessert and I think I just found what to make. I think I’ll have to make some by the recipe and some with substitute ingredients. I can smell this already. I can’t wait to bake it! haha Great post and thanks for sharing. :-)

Got up this morning, saw your coconut bread and made it on the spot (the picture, the snow? What possessed me?). I used coconut milk just because I had it and I never know what to make with it. A few hours later, your bread is already gone…

Deb, I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC!! Everyone raved about it, and it’s pretty much almost all gone. THe only thing is, mine didn’t rise half as much as yours. THe highest it got was about 3/4 the height of the pan, so it didn’t even get to peer out over the top like yours did. Do you know if this could be an oven isssue or my baking powder needs replacing?

What are the chances that I just happened to have all ingredients on hand AND I was in a baking mood AND I received the link to this amazing recipe, all in one day! Get baking people! It really is as delicious as it sounds. Yum!

I’m wondering if I could use desiccated, unsweetened coconut in this recipe. It’s all I usually have in the house. I love coconut and have coconut butter, coconut oil, and coconut sugar, too… it would be awesome to use all of them.

I personally eat peanuts and all matter of other things. But I’ve been told that the reason folks don’t eat peanuts, corn, and beans is that those things can be made into flour. Apparently there was concern that these flours could be mistaken for wheat flour. That’s all I got. Why almonds and all other nuts are okay–no idea,

I find it interesting so many talking about coconut milk and coconut oil that you can tell not everyone read the other notes. . this looks yummy. and all of the suggestions people made were so interesting.. I don’t suppose you have a recipe for a coconut pie to go with it? since my bf has requested this. for myself I am gonna try this one.
Thanks a heap!
Fay

Just made this just as posted. Made a double batch and made one loaf and muffins. Absolutely delicious. Baked muffins for half the time. It is disappearing so quickly I am going to make it again tomorrow and share at work.

I love Bill Granger (almost as much as I love you) and I love Coconut…Must bake this this weekend! I’ve been to his restaurants numerous times in Sydney- you must go if your book tour takes you there! Oh and if you get a chance, with all your busy baking, try his Salted Caramel Slice from his Holiday cookbook- a desiccated coconut shortbread, with sweetened condensed milk caramel layer, topped with dark chocolate and flaked sea salt- Sweet-Salty perfection!!

i’m waiting for the oven to preheat as i type. i added a smashed banana- had an old one around. making this for a party at my son’s school. gonna try a gluten free version too if this one turns out well. thanks!

This looks delicious although I can’t think about it without seeing the beach photo in my head so I’m not sure which I’m craving more. Are you going to have a coconut tag? I’ve counted 9 coconut recipes on the site!

Rising issues, Rayna — Hm. Did anyone else have trouble getting the same height on their coconut bread? I know that Luisa’s looked much flatter too. If so, what size baking pan was used? Maybe that will help get to the bottom of it.

I made this yummy recipe yesterday and tweaked it based on comments here. My changes were unsweetened coconut, white whole wheat flour, coconut sugar, coconut milk, and 1/2 tsp salt. i also made two smaller loaves rather than one big one.

Baked for about 40-45 minutes until a knife came out clean. The results : great! I did not make the original recipe first to compare but based on the photos, my batter was thicker and more bread like (which worried me truthfully) But the result was a very moist on the inside, crusty on the outside, large crumb loaf! It did not rise as large as yours but not sure if that was due to the two loaf pans. The flavors of all of the coconut products blend nicely and result in a delicate but definite flavor.

I would definitely recommend using coconut milk for those making the recipe – although I may bump up the amount a bit more next time to compensate for my denser white whole wheat flour. The coconut sugar gave the recipe that brown sugary flavor so did not brown the butter but may next time. I think I might sub coconut oil next time, too but was worried that I needed the flavor of the butter. I think it would’t matter.
In short, a really good moist sweet bread that will make my rotation.

Wow! This is another winner. I followed the recipe as posted except I had left over toasted coconut. I used the full 5 ounces even though I suppose it gets lighter when toasted. Because of this toastiness, I did not brown the butter. It may have concentrated the sweetness, though but still very yummy. It took 1 hr 10 mins to bake.

@ J.S.
I recently read somewhere (I think it was Ideas in Food) that you can increase the milk solids in browned butter by adding powdered milk. Might be worth a try to fry some dry non-fat milk in the coconut oil and try it.

I plan to make this amazingly delicious looking cakey-bread but I’m just wondering if we are going to get a Passover recipe. I’m desperate for a new side dish. Most involve soaking Matzoh and I just don’t see myself doing that in my tiny kitchen!

Meeeeemories! I studied abroad in Sydney and have had this bread AT BILLS ACTUAL CAFE. It’s incredible. I bought the cookbook before I even left in Australia and made it several times in the dorm kitchen. Love it. I made it last year for a brunch and overbaked it, so didn’t put it out, and my friends ferreted it out of the kitchen and yelled at me for keeping it back.

Mine doesn’t usually rise so much or look as pretty as yours, but it’s still basically the best.

Ok people, I made this yesterday and it is delicious. Very mild coconut flavor even with that astounding amount of coconut in the batter! Next time I, too, will use reduced fat coconut milk. I did sub wwheat pastry flour for the 1.5 cups of flour and used AP for the rest. Used mostly sweetened, flaked coconut but then ran out so used unsweetened, flaked for the rest. I did brown the butter. Also, used 3/4 cup sugar in place of white sugar just because I thought it was going to be cloyingly sweet. It wasn’t. But, I think 3/4 cup is fine. Next time, I might do a rough chop on the coconut cuz’t it gets stuck in my teeth and maybe add some choc. Chips. Just for fun!
Re: Passover….I, too, am always on the hunt for some new ideas for the seder and for the week. Gefilte fish is not my friend! Maybe you might want to consider a reader submitted post for fresh Passover sides, desserts, etc…..my son’s 10th bday falls on Passover this year and I have some ideas for a bday cake, but I am also looking for anything that would be new to me…not a flourless chocolate..that I do every year and a lemon or hazelnut chiffon cake roll I have done as well. All delicious. Btw, someone told me that quinoa is kosher for Passover so putting that out there for all of you! Thanks again for this recipe! So easy…….

You too, Deb? I saw so much snow this winter that I forgot beaches even exist. I don’t have a tropical vacation planned any time soon (well, not at all) but at least I can make coconut bread. This one is so so pretty.

I made this last night and the whole house smelled heavenly. I used 3/4C sugar (1/2C regular sugar, 1/4C vanilla sugar) and it was great. Also went with 2t of cinnamon because I can’t get enough of it, or coconut. Thanks for this one, Deb. It’s a hit.

Anyone know if this would work substituting coconut oil instead of butter? Just seems like a natural and Deb has used that for other quick breads that were fantastic. I think I’ll try making two and one with coconut oil and will report back. Also got a bag of roasted coconut chips from Trader Joe’s that I’ll top it with.

I ran with your suggestion and added 1 cup of diced mango and pineapple along with the coconut. It is scrumptious! It tastes like a beach vacation. And that’s a welcome diversion here in Missouri, as it’s freezing cold with snow in the forecast.

Hi Deb,
Just made this and it’s great. I took your advice and swapped the butter for coconut oil. The six tablespoons wouldn’t mix in so I poured off the top layer (about 2 tablespoons of melted oil) and then it all mixed in nicely. I cut the sugar in half and the bread is still sweet but mildly so. I also added chia seeds since they were laying around and they seem to go well in just about everything. Thanks for another great recipe. Keep them coming!

My winter coconut cravings must be Nature’s way to tell me that what I really need is a month in the Caribbean. I’ll probably end up settling for the next best thing: a slice of this cake, a pina colada and a good novel, feet up on my couch on a Sunday afternoon.

It’s in the oven right now and planning on baking 1/2 way and then sprinkling top with 2 TBSP of unsweetened coconut and then finish baking. This tip is from the Fields of Greens banana coconut bread. And next time I think I’ll use coconut sugar instead of granulated and for everyone concerned about sugar, that may be the answer. Can’t wait!

Made this last night and my 5 year old gobbled it up this morning for breakfast- I served it toasted with a tiny bit of salted butter. I substituted coconut milk for the regular milk, used only a teaspoon of cinnamon, and used unsweetened coconut. I might try grinding the coconut in a food processor next time. The bread was a perfect sweetness. Yes, a little dense, but in a good way.

I love coconut EVERYTHING – it adds such a delicious moisture to all kinds of baked goods! I don’t understand how so many don’t like it. And tropical tastes are very much needed right now in this grey grey winter :).

What a beautiful blog – and why did I only find you now??? I live in “the land of Coconuts and Spices – Kerala/S.India – and this loaf will have to arrive at my table – tomorrow!!! Thank you and I am following you now – Carina

Made this last night and it was fabulous. I’d bought some Kerry Gold Irish Butter in honour of St. Patrick’s Day, and the combination of the salted butter with the warm bread from the oven was just divine. I do think that next time I will give the coconuts a little whirl in the food processor though. I followed the recipe to the T and made it in 6″ loaf pans (baked for around 30 minutes) and had just enough for 4 loaves.

I made the recipe as muffins – yummo! My modifications were half white wheat flour, half sweetened coconut, and half unsweetened. I lowered the baking time to about 23- 25 minutes, and for the last couple minutes I moved the muffins up to the top rack to get some color on the tops.

This cake/bread is just divine! Just came out of the oven and it is really really good! I did substitute the milk with a can of unsweetened coconut milk, had unsweetened coconut flakes, added brown sugar instead of regular sugar and added lime zest and less cinnamon, and it turned out really fantastic! I love recipes you can change easily without messing them up. Thank you for this recipe, and for making our cloudy New York day a bit more sunny :)

I actually have about 1 1/2 cups of coconut in my pantry and I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it. That plus the face that the recipe looks so easy is tickling my lazy unemployed fancy. I may have this cooling on my counter before the sun sets today. Thanks!

After noticing the recipes made in previous years, just wondering which recipes you still use today. I’d love to see a post on the recipes you’ve found that are SO GOOD, you still make them on a regular basis. :)

Made this today and it turned out lovely. Made quite a few tweaks which isn’t like me (especially with Deb’s recipes) but I felt compelled :-) So, I subbed 1/2C of white whole wheat flour for some of the AP. I wanted cut the sugar down just a tad so I used 1/2C of granulated sugar, 1/3C of crystallized palm sugar and unsweetened coconut (shredded since that’s what I had). 1tsp on the cinnamon and subbed coconut oil for the butter. I also went for the traditional carribbean version and threw in a handful or mixed candied peel and currants. I was a little worried ’cause the batter was really thick and I was afraid it wouldn’t rise as much with the addition of white whole wheat flour. I had nothing to fear, my loaf looked exactly like the pic. Tall, golden with a large moist crumb, not too sweet, perfect. I think the caramel-y nature of the palm sugar kind of compensated for the brown butter, and the coconut oil makes it even more coconutty. The smell coming from my oven was insane “Love’s Baby Soft” indeed. Thanks Deb for this recipe.

I made this last night and it was AWESOME. Only slight change I made from your recipe was I included an entire 7 oz. bag of coconut (rather than 5oz)… it was not overkill in the least. Perfect. Thanks!

I don’t know what it is about coconut but it sends me wild it doesn’t matter if it’s coconut loaf, or indeed the coconut butter that my wife uses. I’ve even gone as far as tracking down a aftershave that has coconut to it. This is a great post which links the beach where quite often coconut is at large and indeed the loaf!! Bet it tastes great!!!

I am trying this with half a cup of coconut flour subbed in at the moment. Will report back when done. I read in the comments that coconut flour behaves differently than AP flour – it sure did in this batch! Coconut flour soaked up the liquid right away, so I had to add about another cup of milk to get it to a consistency close enough to cake batter. Here’s hoping it turns out ok!

Reporting back: mission success! I used 1/2 cup coconut flour, and reduced the sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup. Had to add about 1 cup of milk because the coconut flour soaked up a lot of the liquid, making the batter really hard and dry. I also used unsweetened shredded coconut.

I made this exactly as the stated. I agree that 1 tsp of cinnamon is perfect. I had a piece of it about an hour after it came out of the oven and loved the flavor however the texture was crumbly and falling apart which made me think it needed to sit longer before slicing it. Several hours later I sliced it and it was still very crumbly, falling apart. The texture was disappointing and I think it must be that it was over cooked. I baked it one hour and 8 minutes . I suggest testing it much earlier , at around 55 minutes. I’m not sure what went wrong but was really disappointed with the texture. It’s the first time I haven’t had 100% success with your recipes.

Made it with whole wheat pastry flour, two tablespoons of coconut oil and four tablespoons of browned butter, lowfat milk, half the sugar- I substituted some of the sugar with dark brown sugar-, unsweetened dry coconut, and chopped some sweet macadamias in at the last minute. Very good, but I would either add fruit, toast and grind the coconut, add more nuts (definitely), and amp up the coconut flavour through replacing the regular milk with coconut milk, butter with coconut oil, or a bit of the vanilla extract with coconut extract.

It’s a little dry, and more like cake with coconut than coconut bread; I would’ve enjoyed a less distracting texture and more flavor from the coconut shreds. Very good, overall, though.

Totally killer and delicious. BUT, I aspired to the lovely golden brown exterior in Deb’s photos, and that actually resulted in a bread that was a bit overcooked. I followed the recipe to a t (1:15 baking time), so just beware. Next batch I’ll keep it paler and see how that affects the inside result.

Still, made a glaze with coconut milk and powdered sugar and I am not complaining that it exists.

I LOVE this cake, especially the contrast between the brown crunchy exterior and soft moist inner crumb. I used coconut milk instead of regular, brown sugar instead of white, 150g of unsweetened dessicated coconut (I have no access to the shredded variety), and skipped the cinnamon completely as I didn’t want it to compete with the coconut. I threw in some lemon zest for a bit of tangy contrast (next time will use limes if I can get any). The sweetness came out perfect. Thanks for posting!

Oh and I used 2 1/4 cups of flour instead of 2 1/2 — this was by accident but I’m sticking to it for next time! I think I’ve seen so many cake recipes which require 2 1/4 cups that I read what I expected to read instead of what was actually there ;)

Yum! I just made it and it turned out great. I used unsweetened coconut and substituted coconut oil for butter- turned out beautifully. I really wasn’t sure about subbing the coconut oil but I didn’t have any butter!

I made this the day you posted it… I even made a special trip to the store. That’s how excited I was. So I mixed it all up, and tasted the batter– not at all coconutty. I hadn’t tasted the coconut, which was some generic blah that I hadn’t purchased before, and even though I had bought it recently, it was definitely old and definitely the texture of shredded cardboard without any coconuttiness (totally a word). So… I just stirred in another teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of raw millet (drawing inspiration from my favorite crackly banana bread of yours), and called it Crackle Bread instead. The texture of the millet and coconut were great together! My coworkers the next day nicknamed it Crack Bread… aaand the 7 of us managed to polish off the entire loaf in one day!!! I will definitely try this again with flavorful coconut and maybe coconut oil, but it was a hit nonetheless!

Question, how should I store this? I just made it now (it’s delicious!) but wont be serving it for a few hours. Should I put it in the fridge? Right now I just threw a dish towel over it. Will it dry out?

I made this yesterday with mixed results. Followed the recipe exactly, even browned the butter beforehand. My gas oven tends to run on the hotter side, so I made a point to check the bread at exactly 55 minutes. At that point, it was still wet in the middle, so I left it in for 10 more minutes.

The bottom of the bread blackened, which I assume is my fault for not putting enough cooking spray in my pan. The bread, as others have mentioned, is crumbly and on the dry side. The flavor is absolutely delicious, though, and unlike any bread I’ve had before. Some bits are more moist than others, but overall it’s lacking the softness and density of banana bread.

Not sure what would make the consistency a bit better. I suppose adding a banana might add some more moisture, but I like the taste of this bread the way it is.

I made this phenomenal bread tonight. I used 1/2 cup unsweetened and 1 cup sweetened coconut, light coconut milk rather than cows milk, half raw/turbinado sugar and half white sugar, and virgin coconut oil rather than butter… It all fit into my larger 9×5 pan perfectly and looks just like your pictures! It is absolutely heavenly. Dense with a large crumb and perfectly sweet, delightfully coconut-y! My husband and I both love it. I also used a bit of the leftover coconut milk added it to some confectioners sugar with just a splash of almond extract. This icing was a fantastic compliment as a dessert, but the bread is also excellent plain! Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe!

This was excellent–our family just ate it plain, and the brown butter added a nice flavor. I forgot the salt, but when I tried the batter it was fine. Sweetened coconut is already salted (or at least Baker’s is), and the 1 1/2 cups adds exactly 1/4 tsp. to the bread, which might have been why Bill Granger didn’t include it. I agree that baked goods with zero salt aren’t much good. I forgot it once in chocolate chip cookies and never made that mistake again.

I made this bread today and was really looking forward to it but my review is somewhat mixed like Kat’s. I baked mine 45 minutes and it was nice and brown on top but my tester was a little gooey in center so put it back for 5 minutes. The bottom was too dark and overdone. It is a beautiful bread but too dry and crumbly for me. It would probably be much better toasted. I personally do not like the cinnamon with the coconut and glad I used only one teaspoon. If I make it again, I will leave out the cinnamon and use coconut milk for more coconut flavor and maybe almond extract instead of vanilla.

The original recipe uses unsweetened coconut – as far as I know from many years of baking in Australia, sweetened coconut is not available in Australia (or not without a lot of searching!). I have made this many times with unsweetened dessicated coconut, and it is just right.

I’ve been reading SK more regularly since my wonderful husband gave me the cookbook for Christmas. Bonus points for him because I hadn’t said anything about wanting a copy, only that I wanted to make sure the friend who first told me about SK knew it was out. Yet there it was on Christmas morning and I was very happily surprised! This recipe was perfectly timed for me because earlier this week I made peanut sauce for veggie stir fry and had leftover lowfat coconut milk I hadn’t figured out what to do with yet.

When I started gathering ingredients together this morning, I expected to use about half coconut and half cow’s milk, but exactly 1 1/4 cups of coconut milk poured out of the can and into my measuring cup. I took that as a sign. Based on your recommendation, I restrained myself to just 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Usually, the amount of cinnamon listed in a recipe has hidden text meant just for me that says, “but of course you know you need to at least double this amount”. I browned the butter too. It took just about 75 minutes to bake and is delicious; perfectly moist and just the right amount of sweetness without being too heavy. It just occurred to me that it is dense enough to cut into cubes and use to dip into chocolate fondue. Hmmm….

I made this the other day and it turned out really great. I made some small changes/additions. I browned the butter, used 2 oz of unsweetened coconut instead of the sweetened kind, and added 2 mushed-up bananas. There was a bit of extra batter, so I poured it into three muffin cups. Both as a cake and a muffin, it was very tasty!

I am a new reader of yours………this bread sounds AMAZING! It surely must be amazing! I don’t think I have ever seen 299 responses for anything. You must be a wonderful cook:-) Me, not so much . Looks like you have another faithful reader-ME! Thank yo

OMGoodness! I did cut the cinnamon as suggested and will mess with pecan meal and coconut oil next-however as is FABULOUS!!!! Try grilled with white chocolate cream cheese…this recipe will be my go to ‘bargaining’ tool. Love the fact it is not crazy sweet. Thank you for sharing!

Had to make cupcakes/muffins because my loaf pan mysteriously disappeared… I blame the kitchen gnomes. But anyway, they are STELLAR. Followed the recipe exactly, even browned the butter, and the texture is solid and dense, the crust on the outside is perfect, and the flavor is delicate. I will definitely make these again!

I just made this bread with gluten free and dairy free modifications. It is AMAZING! I made it for a friend who is GF & DF and we both thought it was incredible. Even my husband has had two pieces and he doesn’t really like coconut. Here is how I adapted the recipe: 2 1/2 cups AP gluten free flour + 2 tsp xanthum gum, added 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp warm water, let sit for 20 minutes) to the eggs, used 1 1/4 cup of regular (not light) coconut milk in place of the milk, use 6 tbsp coconut oil in place of the butter, used 1 cup coconut sugar in place of the white sugar, used 1/2 tsp salt, used 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg. My loaf is light, moist and delicious. It did cook through in 40 minutes though so if you go GF, keep an eye on it while it bakes (also, if you find your baked goods are over/under cooking invest in an oven thermometer – I’ve had even new ovens that don’t hold or reach the proper temperatures). Can’t wait to try the recipe as printed. I am already planning on baking this in rounds and using as a cake (I think, with the sweetness of most frostings, that it’s nice to have a cake base that is less sweet and has some texture). Might try using this as the base for a carrot cake adaptation!

Hi Deb! Made this bread this aft – LOVED IT!!! I cut off a chunk after letting it sit for 5 minutes out of the oven, slathered it with lots of butter, and just ate it over the kitchen sink. Even the end pieces are incredible! (That’s a sign the recipe’s a keeper in my eyes).
It’s dinner time right now…I think I know what’s for dinner. :D

Holy ! I was reading away, as I always do (and I have to admit I’ve shied away from any hint of your name, picture, etc.) when I saw your reference to your book tour. Should I look? No. Don’t do it. Well, I *had* to look because it said “Atlanta,” where I live. But I tried tried tried not to. But I did. To me, you *are* Smitten Kitchen. That’s your name, your face, your being. Pfew! Just words. No picture. Then I saw a link to a tv spot. And as much as I tried not to look, I did. Well, “Deb,” if you must make up a name, I suppose that’s as good as any, but the woman you had play you on that tv spot was great, but she wasn’t you. At least not the you that’s in my head! I am having a really hard time reconciling this. It’s so weird! Your are Smitten Kitchen! And I’m sticking to it.

On a side note, there are blogs I follow (which shall remain nameless) that have great pictures but blah food! Sometimes I keep trying recipes because I love the writing and the pictures but every one I make it just blah. But yours . . . yours are amazing! You have branded yourself in the same way that Cooks Illustrated has. You have proven your food to be phenomenal no matter what! I *always* know that if you’ve blogged a recipe, it’s going to be great. Thank you for that. You’re awesome!

I made this bread yesterday and it was delicious. I did not use the ground cinnamon( I was out of it) but I upped the vanilla to 2 tsps. Grated about 1.5 cups of dried unsweetened coconut(you can buy the whole round of coconut meat here in India and it is called copra) and used that in lieu of the sweetened flaked coconut. Baked the loaf it in a 8.5 X 4.5 X 2.5 and had no problems with the batter overflowing in the smaller pan. Loved it and my kitchen smelled so good! Your recipes always turn out amazing.Thanks for sharing.

One might wonder…what to do with extra coconut bread??? Cut into cubes, toast with a little melted butter, and use as a topping for the white chocolate pudding with berry curd in the SK cookbook! My friend and I did just this over the weekend in one of our cooking extravaganzas and we loved the result! I have yummy pictures to prove it :)

Here it is. My new obsession. I just found it. My friends and family need to prepare to eat this a lot. oh man. yum….and cleaning frenzy before big trips? um….JUST a little bit. yep. And I’m travelling next week, so cleaning frenzy accompanied by the smell of this bread baking, because it will be coming with us. amen.

I’m a Sydney sider like Bill Granger and his Coconut Bread is one of my favourite recipes! Mine looks exactly like yours. As soon as I saw the link for Coconut Bread on your site, I instantly wondered if it would be Bill’s. I could eat the whole loaf when it comes out of the oven and the sides are crispy. This is such an easy and delicious recipe. I love anything with coconut and I sometimes add raspberries for a bit of tartness.

This was so yummy and came together quickly. I made it much more coconutty (due to dairy allergies in our house). Instead of butter I used coconut oil (same cups), instead of the milk I used unsweetened coconut milk. I also used less sugar (unsweetened toasted coconut) and 1/2 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup vanilla sugar.

I doubled the recipe and filled a bundt cake. It was gigantic, and served us well. It was so yummy toasted with cocobutter and a bit of lime zest.

Deb, I have a question about browning butter. I’ve always assumed that you’d need to use more when browning the butter, since some of the moisture evaporates during the browning process. I love the flavor of browned butter but sometimes hesitate for that reason; but I saw that you had it as an option without recommending an increased amount. So . . . is it safe to assume I can brown butter in recipes without having to increase the amount of moisture?

To reduce sugar, try Coconut sugar. It has a lower glycemic index number and has potassium, iron, magnesium and fiber, among other nutrients. It is made from the flower and has no coconut flavor, but is more caramelly than sweet. I find it easy to use in baking as a sugar sub without sacrificing texture. I have NO connection to Coconut sugar, just a helpful tip.

Made the bread this morning, but I only had half a cup of sugar, so I used half a cup of brown sugar. I didn’t change anything else. While the bread made the house smell wonderful and the crust is superb, the bread itself is very dense and tough. I was very careful not to overmix. Disappointed. BUT at least the house smells great. Now, back to spring cleaning!

I made this last weekend. I saw this post and thought ‘I have to make this now! I have all the ingredients!’ Except I didn’t. I didn’t have milk in the house but I had a can of Trader Joe’s Coconut cream, and I’ve been trying to cut out butter so I used coconut oil…and the result was awesome! Oh, and I didn’t have enough shredded coconut so I crunched up a couple handfuls of TJs coconut chips in addition to what shredded coconut I had. A coworker called it ‘heavenly’!

Made one for my family and one for a hostess gift. Seriously delicious. Took your advice and toasted, slathered, and powdered and it was outstanding. Thanks for passing along a great recipe. And congratulations on all your success. The cookbook is wonderful.

Just made this again last night- again replaced the regular milk with coconut milk. Added some chopped bittersweet chocolate and made mini-muffins (cooked them for approximately 11-12 minutes). The chocolate helped make them a little bit moister for those times when you don’t have a pat of butter available.

I made this this morning and made a few changes. I used 1 cup coconut cream and 1/4 20% milk and I grinded the sweetened coconut flakes a little bit on the food processor. Baked it for an hour and fifteen minutes. It came out just beautiful. It crusty from the outside but moist from inside, taste so good. I have some friends came over to the house and of course I share this fresh bake coconut bread with them and they liked and enjoyed it very much. Of course I have to save some for my husband when he gets home…:) . When I asked him how he likes the bread, he said he likes it very much and it is really nice. That makes me happy. Thanks for this wonderful recipe deb. This is my first time baking the coconut bread. Love. love.

I made this the other day – wonderful!!! I loved that it was not too sweet, and after a day or two it is just delish toasted for breakfast with coffee! I did take the advice from the “Note” and increased the salt (I use only Kosher or Sea Salt) to 1/2 tsp – it was just right.

Fantastic Recipe!! I’ve been making banana coconut bread this winter but this is by far better! I couldn’t help myself by adding the coconut milk I had on hand and replacing vanilla extract with coconut. I agree on cinnamon amount, 1 tsp, is all you need. I love how it’s slightly sweet. Makes delicious toast in the morning! It’s definitely a keeper!

Lovely recipe. So easy to make. I ended up baking them in muffin tins as I didn’t have a loaf pan, and I also added a wee bit of banana to it. They turned out really well. So well, in fact, that one of my co-workers even went so far as to say that they were ”muffins from heaven”. I think I’ve now made some new best friends at work! Thanks Deb. You are officially my baking guru.

Made this today but with lots of tweaks/adulterations! I had three old, unhappy bananas to use up, so I pureed them with milk as Deb suggested (used a whole can of full-fat coconut milk, since I had some on hand). I also added about two cups of chopped-up dark chocolate. It’s not so much a coconut bread any more, but the banana, coconut, and chocolate are playing nicely together.

Although the knife came out clean after an hour and fifteen minutes, the texture as it’s cooled has become a little gummy…the extra moisture from the coconut milk and banana is probably weighing it down a bit. I might use less banana & milk next time, or leave it in the oven a bit longer if I make it again this way. I was also skeptical of the amount of sugar, but having used the whole cup I actually think I could have even put in a bit more to round out all my additions.

Made this today. It’s just the right amount of sweet and is so light and fresh. A warm weather sweet to eat! How can coconut not be the perfect warm weather food. Makes you think of surf, sand and sailing, well for me at least.

the coconut bread was fantastic .. it was a huge hit last night! i doubled the recipe and made two loaves easily. i prefer brown sugar, and fully subbed it for the granulated. at the last minute, i threw in a couple of handfuls of ghiradelli 60% chips, but since the bread is so dense, the single 10oz. bag would have been just fine for the double batch.

This was my contribution to Easter brunch and it was very well received. My 6 year old couldn’t get enough of it, especially hot from the oven. I made a few small changes – used dried shredded unsweetened coconut instead of the sweetened flakes and used coconut milk (1:1) for the milk. I also used the higher amount of salt and the smaller amount of cinnamon and felt it was just right – any more cinnamon and it would have dominated (for me anyway, but cinnamon and I have a rather fickle relationship!). Another excellent recipe – thanks SK.

This was so wonderful! Not as coconut-y as I was expecting, but it is such a great bread for a slow morning with coffee. I sprinkled some turbinado sugar on top before baking it, slathered it with butter and honey, and it’s stupid good.

I have a general question about browning butter and here is as good a place as any to ask since I want to make this. I have been browning butter for lots of recipes but you lose a lot of volume of moisture when you do it since the water bubbles out while you are browning, which has to throw off the ratio of moisture in the recipe. So I tend to put a lot more butter in to brown and then weigh the browned butter after its done to put in whatever amount is called for. Am I right or wrong in doing this?

Amy — What you lose is a tiny bit of water content, and it should have no effect on a cake like this. (See also my response in Comment #328.) In a shortbread or something where exact amounts of ingredients are what holds up the cookie’s structure, it has the potential to be a peskier thing.

I made this today, having flagged it up for baking last week, and have just finished my second slice. So good! First time for using browned butter in a cake as well. Just have to get back to making those salted caramel brownies next. Thank you.

Just what this rainy day needed! My 3 year old daughter just helped me make this and we loved it:) I was also excited to see a Bill’s recipe. I have a couple of his books and visited a cafe in Australia:)

I turned this into cake…(didnt want to dig for my loaf pan!). My husband hates coconut so it is a “more for me scenario” (I have a feeling my 2 year old hates coconut too…but I haven’t tested the waters yet!).
It wasn’t until after I made it I remembered a coffee cake like this I used to make…with banana. coconut, and pecans, and some kind of a broiled coconut topping. That’s probably why I thought this recipe needed a little something… :) I will enjoy it with my morning coffee though!

I made the bread and followed the recipe exactly. I loved it — and so did my family. Especially toasted and spread with butter or Nutella. The only thing I will differently next time is give the shredded coconut a whirl in my food processor before adding it to the other ingredients so the strands are less ‘long’ and more ‘shredded.’ Thanks for posting this.

Hi deb, I love this recipe so much; it’s so easy and I can do lots of stuff to it! So far I’ve made it twice. I had to make them into muffins instead of a loaf because my oven is super tiny and seems to cook smaller things much more evenly. The 2nd time I made them I kind of went a little crazy and added 1 and 1/2 diced apple into the batter, and also put plum jam in the middle before baking (my boyfriend has a horrendous sweet tooth and the jam center really made his day!). Both times I also sprinkled raw brown sugar on the top so the tops of the muffins were crunchy (this doubly made my boyfriend’s day). I can’t wait to experiment some more with this recipe, your website is always my first stop whenever I get baking-cravings!

Just made this – really nice! I am a cinnamon/coconut “liker” not lover, so I wasn’t totally head over heels for it – however that’s just personal taste. If you love coconut this will be your go-to “everyday cake.” The crumb is really nice, not dense but somehow substantial, the crust is golden and crisp…it would be amazing warm with a good vanilla ice cream. It’s that time of year so I can’t WAIT to try it with maple butter…it will be too decadent.

Made this last weekend as i happened to have all the ingredients available. I took the extra 5 minutes to brown the butter then, because i was in a hurry, put the pot in a quick ice bath to cool the hot butter enough so it wouldnt scramble anything in the batter. Just in case. Even with that step it only took 15 minutes to throw this together! Made the house smell divine, and we had a delicious breakfast treat every morning for breakfast this week. It goes stupendously with coffee! Thank you for sharing!

So easy to throw together! I just finished making this, and it was a breeze, and so delicious. I browned the butter, pureed the coconut (in my Cuisinart, just like I do for Deb’s delicious toasted coconut shortbread, a staple around here), and used unsweetened coconut. I like sweet things with a mere hint of sweetness, which this had. Mine puffed up and browned beautifully.

I also wanted to tell you, Deb, that my in laws are coming in a couple of weeks, and today I planned out my menu using all recipes from your cookbook! (Among others, the milanese and pancetta-white bean stews, and also lemon bars and tres leches pudding.)

This was fantastic! Because I didn’t have everything on hand and was trying to be a bit healthier, I substituted one of the eggs for three tablespoons of apple sauce, three tablespoons of butter for three tablespoons of apple sauce (again!) and 3 tablespoons of margarine, and used 1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 all purpose. And I threw in a handful of chocolate chips. It was yumyumyummy! Love the coconut (oh I also used mostly unsweetened) flavour and am currently trying not to eat more…
Thanks, Deb!

Just made this and it is FANTASTIC! I did tweak and add coconut milk since I was out of regular milk. YUM YUM!

Thanks Deb for all your recipes! I find myself making yours 90% of the time. It’s so nice to know something is going to work out since food costs so much these days! I’ve never had a fail from your website.

I also toasted the coconut before adding, browned the butter, and used coconut milk instead of regular. Delicious. I’ve toasted it in the mornings, it’s especially delicious with a smear of butter, peanut butter, or just plain, and I see some mentions of nutella, which is terribly tempting for making another loaf…

What an incredible taste! Mine was devoured in minutes. It did not come out so perfectly golden brown as I hoped, but with practice, I’m sure I’ll get there. Keep the pictures coming Deb, they are nothing short of fantastic :)

I love coconut and this bread is yummy. I don’t think it even needs extra butter or sugar on top…or even to be toasted, for that matter. I used a mix of sweetened coconut and unsweetened because I was cleaning out the freezer. I am looking forward to enjoying a slice with yogurt, fruit and tea for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Turned out great! I’ve made this twice — once with the original recipe, and a second time where I substituted 150 mL coconut milk, 75 mL apple sauce, and 75 mL pineapple juice for the milk. Now, I’ll admit I mostly used those amounts because I had no milk and ran out of both coconut milk and apple sauce :) But I thought it turned out great — the hint of pineapple is a nice tropical addition.

Checking back in after I made the coconut bread w/buttermilk. All is well. Added buttermilk instead of regular milk and added 1/2 tsp. of baking soda because I was using the buttermilk. Used 1/2 tsp. of coconut bakery emulsion and 1/2 tsp. of vanilla instead of all vanilla extract. The bread/cake was divine! Had to get it out of the house so as not to eat it all! Will make again!

I made a vegan version of this this morning and it came out pretty good. I substituted vanilla-flavored almond milk for milk, Egg Replacer for eggs, and margarine for butter. Most vegan baked goods don’t rise as much as non-vegan stuff so my loaf reached a pretty normal height in a 9×5 loaf pan (no “towering”). I baked for 1h 15min at 350F, and I think it could have stayed in for another five minutes. I think 1h 15min would have been enough had I kept the loaf in the center of the oven, but I was baking something else at the same time.

Thanks for the recipe! I also found a bag of shredded coconut from ages and ages ago and didn’t know what to do with it.

Made once as directed (used coconut milk in place of the reg milk) and unsweetened coconut. Even with the full amount of sugar, it was not too sweet at all. But, I love the combination of chocolate and coconut, could I also sub cocoa powder for part of the flour in addition to adding chips?

Like you, Deb, I couldn’t help tweaking this one, and decided to go full vegan (not that I am one, but just to try it). I swapped 1/4 cup of apple sauce for the eggs, almond milk for the milk, and coconut oil for the butter. I also replaced the sugar with 1/3 cup of raw honey, and it came out splendidly! I would increase the honey to a full 1/2 cup next time, but other than that no issues with taste, rising, or texture. My son and I enjoyed it for breakfast this morning with a little honey-butter.

I made this wonderful bread this weekend. It was so delicious and I’m getting requests for the recipe, BUT… mine did not rise nearly as much as yours, not even to the top of the pan. I think my pan was a little smaller, but per your suggestion I put a little into two muffin tins. I just purchased the baking powder so I don’t think that was the problem. I added the browned butter when it was still fairly warm – do you think that could be the problem? I’m going to try it again and see what happens.

Quick, easy and most importantly delicious! Followed the recipe exactly – didn’t change anything expect that I used salted butter so didn’t add the salt. The bread looked and tasted great. I would say one could easily reduce the sugar by 25% if desired – I probably would if I wanted to serve it for breakfast – but as a ‘bread’ that really works more like a cake (as is so often the case with banana bread) this worked a treat. Thanks Deb!

I just made this, but replaced the milk with light coconut milk and added the zest of a lime. Then, I took the remaining coconut milk and juiced the lime, tossed in some vanilla and powdered sugar for a coconut lime glaze. But wait there’s more! I took the remaining sweetened coconut (The smallest bag my store sold was 7 oz), and I toasted up quickly in the skillet. I put that on top of the glaze.

This site has seriously upped my cooking confidence. It’s inspired me to experiment and if things go *poof*, so what! Thank you so much for helping me find my inner home cook, Deb!

I have this in the oven right now and it smells heavenly. I didn’t brown the butter, used the larger amount of cinnamon and used unsweetened coconut flakes, because it was what I had on hand. Cannot wait to try it!

Ive been following your blog for years, started in college and cant get enough. Thanks so much for this recipe, i love coconut in addition to my mother…. nice to see a afordable treat thats easy to make as i share an apartment with two guy friends from college in the Boston suburbs (small kitchen)!

This might sound crazy but id love to video chat or meet you someday… im tryng to learn how to ‘bake outside the box’ and be adventurous without a hefty pricetag. Ive read other blogs and have countless cookbooks yet hate recipes that call for one item you use once and it goes bad, etc. Also just got my kitchenaid stand mixer ive been waiting 8 years for!

I just made this as muffins (literally just ate one). Delicious! I love coconut, and these are perfect, not too sweet, but sweet enough. Very good with some butter and a mug of tea. I doubled the amount of vanilla and used 7oz of coconut (aka the whole bag). Next time, I think I will add some small pineapple chunks. I will be making again!

Much to my surprise, I thought the couple handfuls of ghirardelli 60% chips I added the second time I made this almost overwhelmed the coconut flavor – though my husband liked it. Next time maybe I’ll use coconut milk instead of the soy milk I’m trying to use up! I too have been sprinkling a bit of coarse brown sugar on top of the loaf, which adds a nice crunch…

Made this bread tonight, and it was delicious! Beautiful texture, and I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet. Definitely brightened up my otherwise cold and dreary evening of study! I would love to try it with some lime zest or raspberries.

As a side note, I have lived in Sydney for almost four years, am moving interstate in three weeks, and can’t believe I’ve never been to Bill Granger’s cafe! So little time, so many places to visit…

For a great breakfast mezze board Slice and toast the coconut bread, drizzle with honey and serve with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and melon and a dollop of Greek yogurt drizzled with more honey.

Substituted coconut milk for the dairy milk and unsweetened coconut for sweetened, and browned the butter. My loaf didn’t brown or tower like Deb’s. I plan to make again, but ditch the substitutions and see if it turns out nicer looking. The taste is quite good, but it doesn’t have that contrast between the crunchy shell and pudgy interior that you describe.

I made this last night, as I wanted to make us a cake for breakfast, but was in no mood to wash the mixer bowl and whisk (35 C in Corfu!).I did brown the butter, as I love that nutty, earthy taste. I used slightly less sugar, and unsweetened dried coconut. It was still plenty sweet for our taste! This is a great recipe, and we’ ll definitely be using it a lot this summer! Thank you, Deb!

Like many of your other comment-ers, I, too, have a husband who doesn’t really care for coconut. I, on the other hand, could eat it every day, in any way. I buy them in the produce section and crack, peel and shred (grate) them myself, much preferring the fresh from the shell taste over the sweetened bag stuff – the best snack ever added to oatmeal, rice, or just plain – yum! My questions are thus: can I use the freshly grated coconut over the sweetened bag coconut for this recipe? Would it be sweet enough or would I possibly need to add more sugar and do you think that using half butter, half coconut oil would offer up the same texture once baked? Looks like a great recipe so I’m going to try it with my tweaks and see what happens. Thanks for the recipe!

I made one loaf of this coconut bread at the beginning of the year when my daughter was coming to town. I wanted a breakfast sweet but nothing too gooey and over sweet. The whole family has been talking about it ever since I made ithe first loaf. It certainly left them wanting more! My daughte’s coming to visit for the weekend and called to ask if I could make it again. It is so easy! This time I’ll make two so she can take a slice or two home. It’s really delicious and like others have said even those who are not coconut lovers have liked it. Thanks Suzan

Faaaaaantastic! I did what you wouldn’t and I probably should have tasted it the way you said to, however, I looooove cinnamon so I added 1/2 tsp more. It’s amaaaazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

Fantastic recipe! Real hit with the entire family – I’ve made three loaves in a week they go so fast, haha. I added pineapple as suggested and it was superb! But, in my very humble opinion, if anyone else is thinking of adding pineapple chunks to their bread – add it to the dry ingredients! I folded mine in at the end and the ended up mostly at the bottom, which started to become rather soggy. Still very tasty, just soggier than I would have liked.

On a final note: Mrs. Perelman! You have failed to add a very important caveat! This bread has simply the most beautiful crust ever seen in the history of quick rise breads – I fear I shall never recover.

[I posted this to FaceBook, and wanted to share with you, the author.] Okay, I couldn’t resist. Made this tonight, right after Pinning it. Delicious, Lovely crunchy crust, tender inside. Used sweetened coconut, and the elderly product in my pantry did Just Fine. I think the dryness of it, absorbing the liquid in the recipe, may even have helped. Bake. This. Now. Forget sugar, forget butter. Probably good, but not vital, IMO.

I made a double batch of this last night (perfect for three smaller loaf pans). I also served mine toasted and my husband and I decided it was like eating a big macaroon. I agree with some others that I will try toasting the coconut first. I think I would prefer the dryer coconut in the bread a bit better. But definitely a keeper; my daughter said it is one of her new favorite breads! PS- still had to cook for over an hour even though I used smaller pans.

New-ish reader here… I tried this recipe in April and it has been in constant rotation since. Just got done baking a double batch and sitting down to a nice thick slice… thought I would let you know. Thank you!

/coughs
Me again, sorry. Thought I’d drop by to tell anyone aspiring to use coconut milk – it doesn’t make very much a difference, but if you still want to I wouldn’t recommend replacing more than half the milk as the bread turns out a little drier. Still good, just not as beautifully moist. Also, I’m afraid the mango flavor really doesn’t bake through very well. :(

I fussed. I did replace the regular milk with coconut milk and butter with coconut oil. It turned out fantastic! The cinnamon really pairs well with the coconut (I stuck with 1 tsp). The bread is a bit denser and drier than a banana bread, but its full of flavor and just damn delicious. I bet it would be an excellent vehicle for dessert, say topped with vanilla ice cream with a pineapple sauce? Or fresh mango chunks and greek yogurt?

I’ve been dreaming of making this ever since I read it, Deb. It wasn’t even bookmarked, and I bookmark everything I see. There was no need. This was imprinted in my memory to make. I am Paleo so I will make this super coconoty with coconut flour (I am not all out no dairy Paleo and I absolutely love the smell of butter, so I”ll be making this with normal butter…) Will see whether I use coconut milk…might be interesting. Wish me luck. I’ll let you know how it turns out :)

Made it this weekend. Mine didn’t get the loft that yours did, but it tasted great! I used unsweetened coconut and kept the full cup of sugar, and it was still sweet. I also browned the butter, and I think it added a lot of flavor. Thanks for the recipe!

I followed the directions and used flaked coconut, but now in reading the comments it seems like it’s supposed to be shredded? Which, admittedly, makes a lot more sense and is what I had assumed before re reading the ingredients list when I started baking.

This turned out wonderfully! The only problem was that it didn’t fully cook through, next time I will divide the batter. Naomi- Yes, you are right. But you probably just chop or put it in the food processor.

Made this for the 2nd time because a snowy day in NY required something lovely in the oven but after I started I remembered that I was running low on flour & sugar (duh!). Wasn’t going to waste the browned butter, room temp eggs, so…onwards. Had around 1/3 c. sugar left so I made up the rest with dark brown sugar…and it came out delicious! What an easy-going poundcake (still can’t think of it as “bread”) recipe!
And while it was baking the apt. smelled wonderful from the browned butter.

I have made a few of the recipes you have that I’ve found through Yummly and I’ve never been disappointed. I saw this one yesterday and made it this morning. It is delicious and even my hubby has been chowing it down! It’s denser than I expected, but that makes it even better with a sweet crunchy ‘crust.’ It’s going into my favs file! Thanks!

This bread was great the first day I made it, but for me it was even better the next day … And your suggestion to toast it, made it over the top! I had it one morning with my Barry’s tea. What a treat that was!

I live in the Bahamas and am always on the look out for a new Coconut Recipe – as I use the island’s coconuts to make my baked treats … this recipe is DELISH! I made it in mini loaf pans so I could share :) I love it with butter and powdered sugar (as you suggested) & my husband loves it with a recipe I have for Honey & Spice Buttercream. Many Thanks!

Made this the other day with high hopes but was very disappointed. It looked just like your pictures but was bland and doughy tasting. Even tried toasting it and spreading it with butter and jam but that did not help. I normally love your recipes but won’t be making this one again. Awesome blog though!

I made this bread today. Have been craving coconut for last few days and the macaroons just didnt cut it. Turned out marvellous. Surprisingly, it was done in 44mins.
Also I sub the granulated sugar with dark brown.
I felt the need to add more coconut shavings.
Thanks for the recipe deb!!

I made this last night and added a tsp of cardamom + 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a cup of pecans. I can’t get enough cardamom lately… It’s delicious, but when I make it again, I’ll reduce the cardamom a bit and I might try the coconut milk.

Fate brought me here, and I won’t be leaving any time soon! I happened across smittenkitchen today, and I browsed through several of your recipes before settling on this one to try first. I made it as you suggested, by halving the cinnamon and browning the butter. It certainly did not disappoint, and my husband and I now have a new favourite. I also opted to make the salted honey brown butter spread, which was a fantastic addition. We are looking forward to seeing how this does in the morning when made as french toast. Thanks again, I look forward to trying many more of your recipes.

Hmmmm…fate is calling me. I have a fresh coconut in the fridge (the 5 year old wanted to try to crack it open, so home it came with us from the store), and I may just have to break out the food processor, shred it up, and see how it tastes in this. Yum! Now, off to plan an island getaway….:)

I’ve been following you for a while but this recipe finally blasted me out of lurkdom. I made it right after I read it yesterday since I had all the ingredients on hand. This is my new very favorite thing. I did make a few tweaks. I used 1-1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and I cup AP. I might try all whole wheat next time. I used 3/4 cup dark brown sugar in place of the granulated. I browned the butter slightly. Finally, I did add a small can of pineapple chunks, drained and cut into quarters because the only thing better than coconut is coconut pineapple. I shared this on Facebook and one of my friends offered some suggestions that have me drooling. Grilled cheese with cream cheese. Or, and this one blows me away, make French toast out of it! Thank you for sharing this absolute gem.

Made this today. I had not a speck of dairy milk in my house at the time, but I did have a can of unsweetened coconut milk, so I made that substitution. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. My loaf looks like your loaf’s twin. Perfect recipe! I have to really use restraint to not keep on eating this. It is SO DELICIOUS.

I read through the recipe preamble (mango! lime!) and comments before deciding to try out a vegan version of this bread, with flax eggs, and other subs involving fine-ground spelt flour (slightly less than the amount called for here) and whole coconut milk (which I added more of).

The vegan butter sub I used can be browned – maybe because of the sugar in it? (I usually brown it when ‘frying’ oats as a sub for walnuts, but browned it all on its own this time.) I also happened to have candied pomelo (more tart than sweet) and added that together with a bit of green cardamom. The bread rose – or perhaps I could say ‘domed’ in the center, as it did not rise quite as much as in the photo.

It actually has notes of key lime pie, because of the pomelo!

Thank you for the recipe – and also for the marvelous stress-free entertaining recipes (like the dips and cookies).

It could be a lot of factors — maybe a wider loaf pan, older baking powder or baking soda, or maybe you’re at a higher altitude? Does any of that sound plausible? I always get such a lovely dome with this one, but I’m also always making it in the same kitchen/altitude/with the same ingredients.

Mine turned out a bit tough and hard. Specially when I tried to eat it the next day it was really tough and hard…so disappointed. And it didn’t rise evenly. Am I mixing the batter too much? What am I doing wrong? I am so frustrated! I love baking, however I have never been able to make a nice fluffy soft coconut bread….

Isha — I wonder if it overbaked? The cake usually has a firm crust, with a nice crisp, but should be tender inside. It’s definitely sturdier than your average banana bread, though. Not sure why it might not have risen evenly, unless that ingredients just weren’t evenly mixed. For mixing, it’s always best in the flour stage to mix as little as possible, just until it seems to disappear in the batter.

Deb, I just made this last weekend and it was a hit! I was worried it would be too sweet, and while I’ll be tempted to dial the sugar tone a tad next time, it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. A perfect weekend morning snack. I baked the batter in three mini loaf pans, they were perfect for traveling. And they last! I baked them on Friday, and we’re just finishing up the last loaf now. Tightly wrapped in the fridge, I actually think they are better in a day or two. Thanks for another great recipe!

i love this recipe and make it all the time! i find that even people who say they don’t like coconut like it too. probably much like yourself i tinkered with it and found it’s nice when you split a vanilla bean, scrape out the insides and throw the whole works in with the browning butter(take out the pod before you combine it with the rest of the ingredients of course), it makes the kitchen smell incredible. a few scrapings of nutmeg enhance the cinnamon as well.

Such a wonderful recipe! Have made it a few times and today is for a bridal shower. In this day of “gluten free..dairy free..” Why people why?? J/k. I am going to use gluten free flour, and full fat coconut milk. I used 1/2 gluten free flour in my last batch just because I ran out of regular flour and it was amazing, so I feel confident it will be great once again. I also use 2smaller pans and when that smell really permeates the air…I check on it. I think it was around 50 minutes last time. Deb, you are always one of my go to blogs for all recipes, and a little spunk in my day! Also tell my cooking peeps to check you out! Thanks for sharing the love!

Thank you for a great recipe. I am just wondering if i could use fresh coconut for this, and if yes, what should i change in the recipe. it is easier to get fresh grated coconut here in this part of the world than coconut flake. Thanks!

I made this tonight….. AMAZING. I only had salted butter, so I eliminated the added salt. Moist, not too sweet, and tastes EXTRA great served warm with butter. Always impressed with your recipes. Thank you!

I’m imagining this coconut bread with added crushed pineapple mixed into the batter- a sliced pineapple that has been coated in butter and brown sugar then roasted until sweet and dark and toffee edged. Crush into little pieces then stir in maybe?

Deb- Would this work do you think or would I have to adjust the liquid levels to prevent it becoming too soggy?

However, I am certainly NOT implying a lack in your own recipe which i am gonna make this weekend. You can relate to my desire to gild the lily though, can’t you?

Nicola — I don’t have a conclusion of how well it will work but many people mention wanting to do the same, or using variations with this (pineapple juice for some of the liquid, adding dried diced pineapple and one person mentions making Tyler Florence’s pineapple butter to top a toasted slice, which I now desperately want). I suspect you’ll be just fine if you drain it really well.

I’ve been making this for years – a good 15 or so. I think I got the book when it was first printed. This is amazing with either a slightly sweetened whipped butter with lime zest, or butter and lime marmalade….
Now off to make me a batch!!

Loaves in the oven
I’m actually surprised there was batter left for the tins!
I put into two smaller tins (maybe 6×3 inches?) amd half filled them.
They won’t be high but at least i cam keep one and take the other for my friend’s party!

I just made this with a few changes to help clear out my fridge and pantry. I had leftover light coconut milk so I used about half that and half almond milk. Also had leftover toasted unsweetened shredded coconut so that went in there along with untoasted coconut as well. I threw the shredded coconut in the blender for a few seconds to avoid the strands of coconut – just until they were in smaller bites/chunks. This worked well for me. Also subbed 1/2 cup of flour for coconut flour, used coconut sugar instead of white sugar. Threw in a bit (2 tsp?) of lemon juice that was just sitting around waiting to go to waste. I also topped the loaf with more coconut sugar because the bag was just so close to being empty – the top ended up getting crackly and caramelized and smells amazing. The bread overall is fantastic. Definitely not as chewy/soft as banana bread. It’s its own thing entirely.

First, I love your blog! Love the photos!
Second, I just read ALL the comments.
Yes – all 475. I’m glad I did as it validated the changes I wanted to make. It was especially worth it to see someone else wanted to omit the cinnamon and use cardamom. Ever since I went on a 5-week business trip to Florida (Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville), where nearly everything is topped with cinnamon, I have had an aversion to that spice. It took hours to read the comments – as in it is after 3:30 AM here on the West Coast, and I started reading well before 11 o’clock. I could practically smell the bread while reading the comments. I’m going to sleep, but I will be making this first thing when I wake up. Thank you!

I’m somewhat new to Smitten Kitchen, but I bought the book, tried a few recipes (with success!), and now I’m enjoying this vast collection of recipes, tales of a delicious and occasionally messy life in food, and expertise from the author and readers alike. Right now I have a loaf of coconut bread in the oven, and the aroma is making me very happy indeed. Thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to try the “next” recipe. It’s just hard to know where to begin!

I love how easily this recipe comes together! I had to make some subs, which I don’t usually like to do. I had canned coconut milk, so I used that and I wanted to try it with coconut oil instead of the butter. I also added chocolate chips and I wish I hadn’t.you were right Deb. It baked perfectly, but it was a bit too sweet for me with the chocolate. It was a lot of batter, but fit just right in my classic Pyrex loaf pan. I could see some chopped dried pineapple. Honestly though it’s a perfect recipe!

Bless you, Deb. This was incredible. I went out and bought a pan just so I could make it in the proper size. Mine didn’t come out quite as tall as yours, but the crust still looked so beautiful with the coconut flake texture all bronzed on the top. I see a couple other commenters also had shorter loafs. I like that this bread is still a desert-y bread but a little more sturdy than just coffee cake- the crust is just…i mean…i could eat it all day. Slapped some butter on mine and shared it with the roommates, YUM!

A new recipe for my new oven! I had lots going on last night and must have been distracted, as the bread did not rise to a lovely mound and came out on the heavy side (but still delicious). Part of it is me leaving it for 5 minutes longer than I should have, another part is getting used to a new oven, part mercury rising or being selected at random to fill out the requisite trio of domestic mishaps for the week. I did not change a single thing in the recipe but will try adding some yogurt or lemon juice next time to up the fluff factor.

Hello ! I made this tonight in the form of muffins, gluten free, and with coconut milk and coconut oil instead of butter. They were phenomenal !! My husband, who is celiac and appreciates any baked goods that he can eat, was over the moon. I substituted Bob’s One to One gluten free flour for the regular type. Sooooo delicious !

Ahhh this bread is so good. This is only my 2nd Smitten Kitchen recipe, but I will be making many more in the future, and I will make this again (and again). It is somewhat subtle, not too sweet to eat for breakfast, and oh so good. I might actually try it with coconut oil next time just because I love that coconut flavor. Mine needed the full 1 hour & 15 minutes in the oven and came out perfect and moist. My two year old loves it, too.

I can’t wait to make this!!! Thinking after work, but I generally only have unsweetened vanilla almond milk at home. Not because of an allergy, just preference. Should I stop for milk or will the almond milk be a fine sub?

Came across this on your (droolworthy) instagram, and it’s so good I’ve made it twice in the past week and a half! 1:1 replacement with coconut works perfectly, and does not overwhelm the bread. Thanks Deb :)

Most delicious! I love coconut and this loaf did not disappoint! I used about ¾ cup coconut milk & ½ cup regular milk (trying to use up old coconut milk), a cup of sweetened flaked coconut and a half cup of unsweetened flaked coconut (again, using up what I had on hand) and added a glug of coconut extract. Terrific flavor, and I know I’ll make this again.

This is great stuff – I went one step further and toasted the coconut (unsweetened) in a non-stick pan while the butter was browning. And I also added some tiny chocolate chips, because chocolate. YUM!!!

I made this today and, although I liked it, was not as enthusiastic as the Smitten Kitchen. I didn’t have any powdered sugar to dust it with after toasting a slice (darn it!). The loaf was little dense/heavy. And the coconut was too subtle (I did use coconut milk). Maybe tomorrow it will be better (sometimes that happens). Then again, maybe next time I’ll use oil instead of butter, and add a bit of cardamom instead of cinnamon. And, I’m thinking of toasting the coconut before stirring it in. I would love to make a really delicious loaf of coconut bread for brunch/breakfast here in Hawaii. What could be better?

Yum! I just tasted my vegan version of this recipe. For the eggs I used “super eggs” (3 T aquafaba + 1 T ground flax for each egg), instead of dairy I used almond milk, and for the butter I used unrefined coconut oil. The only other modification I made was to use unsweetened coconut and lightly toast it before adding. One hour in the oven yielded a moist loaf with a medium-golden exterior.
Oh…and the whole thing got a bath of dark chocolate ganache laced with almond extract and espresso powder. I couldn’t help it—coconut has too many friends.
Thank you for the recipe!

I just made a batch of 6 jumbo coconut muffins for the second time. I used 1 c. WW flour and 1.5 c. AP, cut the sugar to 3/4 c., and left out the salt. That amount of sugar seems perfect to me. Super tasty!

I made this today, and wow. I make a lot of quick breads, and this is now one of my favorites. I used unsweetened coconut, coconut oil instead of butter (although I might try the brown butter next time), coconut milk, and added a dash of coconut extract. It’s so tall and moist and has the perfect level of sweetness and coconut flavor. The only downside is all the coconut makes it hard to cut into neat slices because it all wants to crumble out. But that just means I have to make my slices thick. Ohh wellllllll…

this bread is amazing!! i was craving a coconut milk chai, so i added a bit of cardamom to the mix and it was like my favorite drink in bread form. I’m getting ready to make it again and decided to comment! Thanks for an amazing recipe!

Made this with unsweetened coconut and coconut milk. Found it a bit difficult to slice as it didn’t seem to stick together very well and even thick slices broke apart, but it was really delicious and beautifully coconutty. Maybe I’ll try with an extra egg next time, thanks for the recipe!!

I made this last night but substituted a whole can of full-fat coconut milk for the milk. I also left out the butter because of the high fat content in coconut milk, and because the volume of milk in the can worked out to be very close to 1-1/4 cup + 6 tablespoons. It turned out moist and delicious! I brought it to work and it’s getting rave reviews.

I made this with unsweetened coconut (all we had) so good and perfect with homemade strawberry jam! I am now making again with coconut chips (will it work?) Plus dried blueberries and with an oat streusel topping…. let’s see!

My daughter and I made this last night! It was so easy to make and it turned out perfect!! The coconut flavor was subtle and not too sweet. We are ours with Kerry gold butter :)
I’m curious, does anyone know how many calories are in a slice?
Thanks!

Made this as written in three small loaves. Do not skip the last tidbit to “toast and butter” before serving. We drizzled with some local honey and it was amazing! I had people at work who turned their noses up at the word ‘coconut’ that were coming back for more! So good!

Deb I hope you and your family are well, happy and never stop offering recipes like this!! Not to mention your great way with words. Always such a pleasure to see Smitten Kitchen in my mailbox… TRULY!
As for this loaf, it was absolutely WONDERFUL!!!
Thanks so much, and God bless you every day.
Marylu DiOrio

Made this today! A local coffee shop has a coconut bread and I’ve long wanted to try to recreate it but didn’t know how. Yours is even better! I did your suggested substitution of coconut milk for regular milk, and coconut oil for melted butter. I wanted to make a glaze, but didn’t have any coconut milk left…so I looked online and found a suggestion for lemon glaze on the Bob’s Red Mill site. It is amazing. Thank you so much for all of your great work. I rely on your recipies all the time.

And, this is in the oven again for the 20th time or so! Ok, that might be an exaggeration. But I recently brought a loaf as a host and hostess gift to Thanksgiving and it was very well recieived! The one in the oven currently sports coconut oil instead of butter, and a sprinkling of Meyer lemon zest and a squeeze of the juice!

Weird question – what might happen if I made this without coconut? I’m out, but I love the ease of making this recipe and the tall density of this bread. I suspect one shouldn’t just leave out 1 1/2 cups of a dry ingredient and expect similar results. Any ideas re how to tweak this without coconut?

Just made this bread this afternoon as a coming-home-from-school treat for my kids. We all LOVED it! I have this delicious fancy butter that we spread on it and it is just all kinds of wonderful. Your recipes never disappoint! Happy Friday. And on that note, I am washing the bread down with a rye and gingerade kombucha. Seems like a strange combo, but it works.

wow!! just made this( in the wee hours of the morn- )I had to make a half batch in a small loaf tin…only had a bit of flour!!! been baking alot more lately!! I added half a cup of walnuts…cuz i love em!! and i commited a cardinal sin….i used margarine…cuz i ran out of butter and i wasnt gonna let that stop me!! it is amazing and it hit the spot….just what i was looking for! thank you!! I will be making this again and again!!

This is delicious. Mine didn’t rise as much as Deb’s but I should buy new baking powder, as mine is probably a bit old. Also, my oven typically runs cool and it was already a tad too done at the hour mark–not devastatingly overdone, but I’d have liked to take it out sooner. Be a better baker than me and start checking early.

I was super excited to try this and I’m happy with the result – a dense, subtly sweet, almost cake-like bread. I had coconut milk and very fine, unsweetened coconut flakes on hand and they worked well. Baked for exactly 1 hour. Really enjoying the loaf.

This is stunning! Made it during my 2 year old’s nap and we shared a slice for post nap snack. So easy and it came out just like your photos — not too sweet, just right. I didn’t brown the butter first and it was still delicious.

I made this last night with half spelt flour and almond milk instead of regular milk, unsweetened coconut and reduced sugar to 2/3 cup. I also added 1/2 tsp of coconut extract. I left it in for the full 1.25 hour as the top seemed a little doughey after an hour five minutes. The bread is definitely pretty dry. Next time I would take it after an hour slightly doughey looking top be damned and add a mashed banana to the wet ingredients to help the wet factor. It is super dense and definitely the perfect sweetness level after my modifications (wanted a breakfast not dessert type loaf). Anyway I guess I’ll have to toy around with it for better results.

Ok-I just went on their website to check it out… They said for a cup of cane sugar keep 1/4 of it real sugar. So for this I used a quarter cup of real sugar and for the remaining 3/4 of a cup of sugar it comes out to me using 1/3 cup truvia +2 teaspoons truvia. I will let you know how it turns out. Fingers crossed on my end.🙏🏻😊

I just made this, using unsweetened coconut flakes, as that is what I had. Used salted butter as that was what was available on sale! Anyway, this bread is delicious. I suspect tomorrow it’ll be even better. I have salted chocolate chunk shortbread chilling in the fridge too…my third time making it …with perfect results every time. Thanks Deb!

The Salted and Honeyed Brown Butter Spread that she suggests to pair with it is seriously dangerous…I’ll definitely be making this spread on a regular basis!

RECIPE:
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, divided 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (use less for lightly sweet, more for a more traditional honey butter) Few pinches flaky sea salt
In a small saucepan, melt half your butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low. The butter will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. While it is cooling, leave the other half of the butter out to soften slightly (semi-firm is fine).

Whip softened butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the room temperature browned butter, honey and salt continue whipping until combined. Chill butter in fridge until a nice spreadable consistency, or until needed.

So excited to make this! I have been searching for a coconut bread, and what I’ve found has failed me. As a new follower, I can’t thank you enough. I brought The Smitten Kitchen cookbook for myself for Christmas and have moved it with me to S Korea. It’s nice to have a taste of home along with lovely pictures and fun narrative.

So, made this yesterday and it was yummy! But you just know that I’m going to have to tweak it next time. The plan is to add chopped toasted pecans and small nuggets of dark chocolate to the batter. I’ll report back.

Deb, I want you to know how much I appreciate that you continue to post recipes for free, on a regular basis, even though you have written two cookbooks (which I own and love). That demonstrates a true generosity of spirit found so often in people who appreciate good food. I also want you to know that your writing is delightful. Finally, your recipes never fail to please EVERYONE in my family: you have achieved culinary alchemy!

Deb, I want you to know how much I appreciate that you continue to post recipes for free, on a regular basis, even though you have written two cookbooks (which I own and love). That demonstrates a true generosity of spirit found so often in people who appreciate good food. I also want you to know that your writing is delightful. Finally, your recipes never fail to please EVERYONE in my family: you have achieved culinary alchemy!

Deb, I want you to know how much I appreciate that you continue to post recipes for free, on a regular basis, even though you have written two cookbooks (which I own and love). That demonstrates a true generosity of spirit found so often in people who appreciate good food. I also want you to know that your writing is delightful. Finally, your recipes never fail to please EVERYONE in my family: you have achieved culinary alchemy!

Looks great! Can imagine the smell… I love coconut anything. But thinking about making it regular flour free and substituting for coconut flour. Taking into consideration different moisture absorption of regular flour and coconut flour. What do you think?

So inspired by this recipe! Couldn’t help myself; made a couple tweaks to fit my lifestyle. Used lite coconut milk, King Arthur GF flour, omitted the spices for some coconut extract, toasted the coconut, and replaced half the butter with greek yogurt. It’s in the oven and smells heavenly. My end result won’t be true to yours, but I have to say thank you for the inspiration!

Oh my word! I just made this and it’s perfection! Only change I made was to use some Trader Joe’s coconut sugar instead of white sugar. That with the browned butter doubles up the nutty sweet slightly caramel taste and the aroma is amazing!! Wish I could submit a picture too!

Yummm. Made this morning, with only one tweak: used 100 grams of sugar (half what the recipe calls for), which was perfect for me–I eat a lot of sweets, so I tend to like them not too sweet.
However, I used my 9×5″ pan, and it would have been more impressive, I think, if I had used my 8.5×4.5″ pan. as there was definitely more room to come up. Also, in the slightly larger pan, it only needed one hour to bake perfectly. I wonder, Deb, if your pan is actually smaller than 9×5? This would also, possibly, explain why it didn’t rise mountainously for other bakers.
And even though it was lovely and I have to stop myself from having another slice right now, I might try using coconut milk next time, and maybe whole wheat pastry flour–at least for half the flour–so I don’t feel so guilty every time I scarf another piece!

I made this as follows: I substituted 25 percent of the all-purpose flour with coconut flour. I used a 14 Oz can of coconut milk, plus added some regular milk as the batter was quite dry. I used 6 tbsp coconut oil and 5oz unsweetened (rather than sweetened) shredded coconut. I baked in 4 mini loaf pans. The bread took a long time to brown even in the smaller containers – at least an hour. The bread is dense but tastes great.

If you search through the comments, a bunch of people mention trying it, but definitely keep in mind that it behaves quite differently than all-purpose, the partial swap (or an even smaller portion) that you have in mind seems the best way to find out.

This is very tasty. I didn’t have sweetened coconut so I used unsweetened and tossed in some mini chocolate chips. Otherwise all directions were followed. I thought it was plenty sweet and will make a good breakfast slice to eat alongside a fried egg and some coffee. Mmm!

I made this yesterday and can’t stop eating it. I am not a major sweet eater, but this hit the spot. I used half butter, half coconut oil and only 3/4 cup of sugar. My coconut was sweetened. It looked beautiful and had the best crust..all the way around. I baked it in a glass loaf pan. It was just subtly sweet, perfect for me, but if I were to take it to someone else, think I would use the whole cup. Meanwhile, can’t wait to try the mango curd to go on it. I am a very experienced cook, but not a baker. So my question to the group is what made the crust so good, yes the rest is crumbly, but I can live with that. Think I want to try to add some things, definitely lemon and nuts, but could I use the base and add blueberries and lemon for example? I just want the crust! I have just had it so far with salted butter. Think I would also love some lebnhe in it.
Anyway, thanks Deb. I am a first time poster, but I have made several of your recipes. I made Brussels sprouts via your link to David Chang’s with the Thai vinaigrette the same day. Sort of like the Spotted Pigs marinated sprouts. As a long time New Yorker, now living in no where Alabama, I live vicariously thru you and your salad recipes!

I’m not 100% sure this would work with this bread, but it might be worth a try. Year ago, my mom used to make macaroni and cheese in a deep casserole pan (akin to a souffle dish). But my dad always wanted only the crust, so when I made it for him, I used a flat pan (like a 9×13) instead. Result? More crust! So, you could try this here, maybe in a square pan, and if there’s batter left over, use a mini-loaf pan? Anyway, if you try it, please report back! (p.s. I’m a native new yorker who’s lived in CA since 1976. Obviously, i have no complaints!)

I used light coconut milk and it’s delicious! FYI I also poured off 2 muffins (standard size, with paper liners) worth of batter, they took 30 minutes and remaining loaf in a 9″x5″ pan (dark nonstick metal buttered & floured) took 60 minutes

I’ve made this twice now. Both times so good! The first time I added pineapple chunks (and forgot the coconut flakes. doh!). I took it to work and it was a big hit. The second time I used 1 cup of coconut milk and 1/4 coconut drink (trying to use up what I had on hand). I still didn’t have coconut flakes. I used 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon cardamom. Baked in silicon muffin cups for 30 min. Delish! I love that this recipe can be adapted in so many ways!

I made this a couple of weekends ago for the second time. Browned the butter and the flavor was great! I made a double recipe to take to work for snacking on with coffee. The team loved it. The loaves came out well, but I put some of the excess into mini cupcake papers/tins and they stuck to the paper. Definitely use the loaf and not paper. I also added a little toasted coconut to the top of the loaf, which turned out well. Definitely be careful to not overmix. Mine was on the verge of being tough because I incorporated everything (and then stopped right after). Next time, I would stop short of full incorporation.

Made it with the following changes: unrefined coconut oil instead of butter, zest of one lime instead of cinnamon, a pinch of cardamom, and unsweetened finely shredded coconut. The result was delicious: strong coconut flavor, fine crumb, easy to slice, and definitely sweet enough. Next time I will add a tablespoon of rum. I glazed it with a lime icing, but that was not necessary. This cake is the perfect antidote to snow mid-April.

I used up all the coconut I had in the freezer. One whole bag of unsweetened and a bag sweetened each. Plus a partial bag of each (sweetened and unsweetened). Made 8 loaves (20 pounds of cooked bread!) as thank you gifts for my three daughters’ CCD teachers. Huge hit. Came out beautifully – crispy outside, perfect tooth thanks to the coconut, inside. It was plenty sweet with a mix of sweet and unsweetened coconut – perfect, really.

This is a new family fave. Irish husband says a slice toasted with a cup of tea might just be his version of perfect. (I’d add a little butter after toasting to make it my version of perfect.)

This bread is so tasty but it seems to be very dense. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Or did I do something wrong? I followed the recipe to a T, but I’m a terrible baker, so I likely messed something up! Any thoughts on how to get this delicious bread less dense? Thanks!

This bread is in my oven for the millionth time. My wife and I love it. This time, I made it with coconut milk and coconut oil, a little lime zest and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and (based on the suggestion of another commenter), cardamom instead of cinnamon. It smells great – we shall soon see the results!

Has anyone added berries or berry compote/jam swirl to this? I have strawberries that I need to use (and have already made Deb’s strawberry summer cake several times this summer) and wonder if an addition of some lemon zest and strawberries would work. I don’t want to ruin a great thing!

Ok, I’m answering my own question about adding berries, for anyone who might be interested. I just made this again, used cardamom instead of cinnamon, and added a half-pint of blueberries that I’d tossed in vanilla sugar. Used coconut milk instead of regular, used a mix of coconut oil and Greek yogurt for the fat, and topped with a coconut milk powdered sugar glaze. It is delightful. The end of season tart blueberries are a great foil for the sweetness of the glaze.